The government of the United Kingdom, formally His Majesty's Government and also officially the UK Government, is the central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.His Majesty's Government Retrieved 28 June 2010Overview of the UK system of government : Directgov – Government, citizens and rights. Archived direct.gov.uk webpage. Retrieved on 29 August 2014. The government is led by the prime minister (Andy Burnham since 20 July 2026) who advises the monarch on the appointment of all the other ministers. The government is currently formed by the Labour party, which has had a majority in the House of Commons since 2024. The prime minister and his most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision-making committee, known as the Cabinet.
Ministers of the Crown are responsible to the House in which they sit; they make statements in that House and take questions from members of that House. For most senior ministers this is usually the elected House of Commons rather than the House of Lords. The government is dependent on Parliament to make primary legislation, and general elections are held at least once every five years to elect a new House of Commons, unless the prime minister advises the monarch to dissolve Parliament, in which case an election may be held sooner. After an election, the monarch selects as prime minister the leader of the party most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons, usually by possessing a majority of MPs.House of Commons – Justice Committee – Written Evidence . Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved on 19 October 2010.
Under the uncodified British constitution, executive authority lies with the sovereign, although this authority is exercised only after receiving the advice of the Privy Council.The monarchy : Directgov – Government, citizens and rights. Archived direct.gov.uk webpage. Retrieved on 29 August 2014. In most cases the cabinet exercise power directly as leaders of the government departments, though some Cabinet positions are sinecures to a greater or lesser degree (for instance Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster or Lord Privy Seal).
The government is sometimes referred to by the metonym "Westminster" or "Whitehall", as many of its offices are situated there. These metonyms are used especially by the devolved executives, the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive, as well as English strategic authority mayoralties to differentiate themselves from His Majesty's Government (HMG).
History
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy in which the reigning monarch (that is, the king or queen who is the head of state at any given time) does not make any open political decisions. All political decisions are taken by the government and Parliament. This constitutional state of affairs is the result of a long history of constraining and reducing the political power of the monarch, beginning with Magna Carta in 1215.
Since the start of Edward VII's reign in 1901, by convention, the prime minister has been an elected member of Parliament (MP) and thus answerable to the House of Commons, although there were two weeks in 1963 when Alec Douglas-Home was first a member of the House of Lords and then of neither house. A similar convention applies to the position of chancellor of the exchequer. The last chancellor of the exchequer to be a member of the House of Lords was Lord Denman, who served for one month in 1834.The Parliament Acts – UK Parliament . Parliament.uk (21 April 2010). Retrieved on 12 October 2011.
Powers Royal Prerogative
The British monarch is the head of state and the sovereign, but not the head of government. In practice, the monarch conventionally takes little direct part in governing the country and remains neutral in political affairs. However, the authority of the state that is vested in the sovereign, known as the Crown, remains the source of executive power exercised by the government.
In addition to explicit statutory authority, the Crown also possesses a body of powers in certain matters collectively known as the royal prerogative. These powers range from the authority to issue or withdraw passports to declarations of war. By long-standing convention, most of these powers are delegated from the sovereign to various ministers or other officers of the Crown, who may use them without having to obtain the consent of Parliament.
The prime minister also has weekly meetings with the monarch. What is said in these meetings is strictly private; however, they generally involve government and political matters which the monarch has a "right and a duty" to comment on. Such comments are non-binding however and the King must (by convention, though not by strict law) ultimately abide by decisions of the government.
Royal prerogative powers include, but are not limited to, the following:
Domestic powers
The power to appoint and dismiss a prime minister. This power is exercised by the monarch personally. However, the last time the monarch used their own discretion when exercising this power was 1834, with the modern convention that they appoint (and are expected to appoint) the individual most likely to be capable of commanding a majority in the House of Commons. The power to appoint and dismiss other ministers. This power is exercised by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. The power to assent to and enact laws by giving royal assent to bills passed by Parliament, which is required for a law to become effective (an act). This is exercised by the monarch, who also theoretically has the power to refuse assent, although no monarch has refused assent to a bill passed by Parliament since Queen Anne in 1708. The power to give and to issue commissions to commissioned officers in the Armed Forces. The power to command the Armed Forces. This power is exercised by the Defence Council in the King's name. The power to appoint members to the Privy Council. The power to issue, suspend, cancel, recall, impound, withdraw, or revoke British passports and the general power to provide or deny British passport facilities to British citizens and British nationals. This is exercised in the United Kingdom (but not necessarily in the Isle of Man, Channel Islands or British Overseas Territories) by the home secretary. The power to pardon any conviction (the royal prerogative of mercy). The power to grant, cancel and annul any honours. The power to create corporations (including the status of being a city, with its corporation) by royal charter, and to amend, replace and revoke existing charters.
Foreign powers
The power to make and ratify treaties. The power to declare war and conclude peace with other nations. The power to deploy the Armed Forces overseas. The power to recognise states. The credit power and receive diplomats.
While no formal documents set out the prerogatives, the government published the above list in October 2003 to increase transparency, as some of the powers exercised in the name of the monarch are part of the royal prerogative. However, the complete extent of the royal prerogative powers has never been fully set out, as many of them originated in ancient custom and the period of absolute monarchy, or were modified by later constitutional practice.
Ministers and departments
, there are around 120 government ministers supported by 560,000 civil servants and other staff working in the 24 ministerial departments and their executive agencies. There are also an additional 20 non-ministerial departments with a range of further responsibilities.
In theory, a government minister does not have to be a member of either House of Parliament. In practice, however, the convention is that ministers must be members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords to be accountable to Parliament. From time to time, prime ministers appoint non-parliamentarians as ministers. In recent years such ministers have been appointed to the House of Lords.
Government in Parliament
The government is required by convention and for practical reasons to maintain the confidence of the House of Commons. It requires the support of the House of Commons for the maintenance of supply (by voting through the government's budgets) and to pass primary legislation. By convention, if a government loses the confidence of the House of Commons it must either resign or a general election is held. The support of the lords, while useful to the government in getting its legislation passed without delay, is not vital. A government is not required to resign even if it loses the confidence of the lords and is defeated in key votes in that House. The House of Commons is thus the responsible house.
The prime minister is held to account during Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) which provides an opportunity for MPs from all parties to question the PM on any subject. There are also departmental questions when ministers answer questions relating to their specific departmental brief. Unlike PMQs, both the cabinet ministers for the department and junior ministers within the department may answer on behalf of the government, depending on the topic of the question.
During debates on legislation proposed by the government, ministers—usually with departmental responsibility for the bill—will lead the debate for the government and respond to points made by MPs or Lords.
Committees"Committees" – UK Parliament. . Retrieved on 12 October 2011. of both the House of Commons and House of Lords hold the government to account, scrutinise its work and examine in detail proposals for legislation. Ministers appear before committees to give evidence and answer questions.
Government ministers are also required by convention and the Ministerial Code, when Parliament is sitting, to make major statements regarding government policy or issues of national importance to Parliament. This allows MPs or Lords to question the government on the statement. When the government instead chooses to make announcements first outside Parliament, it is often the subject of significant criticism from MPs and the speaker of the House of Commons.
Location
The prime minister is based at 10 Downing Street in Westminster, London. Cabinet meetings also take place here. Most government departments have their headquarters nearby in Whitehall.
Limits of government power
The government's powers include general executive and statutory powers, delegated legislation, and numerous powers of appointment and patronage. However, some powerful officials and bodies, (e.g. HM judges, local authorities, and the charity commissions) are legally more or less independent of the government, and government powers are legally limited to those retained by the Crown under common law or granted and limited by act of Parliament. Both substantive and procedural limitations are enforceable in the courts by judicial review.
Nevertheless, magistrates and mayors can still be arrested and put on trial for corruption, and the government has powers to insert commissioners into a local authority to oversee its work, and to issue directives that must be obeyed by the local authority if the local authority is not abiding by its statutory obligations.